We cannot take responsibility for any injury or accident that may occur while you are photographing a cemetery. Please be careful! Watch out for uneven ground, hidden holes, obstructions, etc. Never visit a cemetery by yourself, take along a friend, relative or fellow volunteer. Bring a cell phone and carry it on your person.

♦ Reserving a cemetery

Before photographing a cemetery for this project please sign up, then wait for confirmation from the volunteer coordinator before starting to take photos. This "reserves" the cemetery in your name, and ensures no one wastes their time photographing a cemetery another volunteer is already working on.

If you'd like to photograph multiple cemeteries you can, but it's suggested you start by reserving one and completing it before reserving any others. Once you've completed your first cemetery, you can then reserve up to five at a time.

As many cemeteries have the same name, each cemetery included in our project has a unique ID code. This code helps to ensure that submissions are linked to the correct cemetery.

When corresponding with the volunteer coordinator please be sure to include the cemetery ID code if referring to a cemetery.

You can find the cemetery ID code in two places:

1. When you sign-up to photograph a cemetery from the cemetery page the ID code will be embedded in the form. When the volunteer coordinator responds to your message the cemetery ID code will be in the subject heading of the e-mail (e.g. Cem Proj MB PHOTOS MBERD0212 Eriksdale Cemetery)

2. In the URL of the cemetery page. To find the ID code, locate the cemetery and take note of the URL of the webpage you are viewing (e.g. http://www.geneofun.on.ca/cems/mb/MBERD0212).

The cemetery ID code is the letter-number combination that begins with the 2 letter province abbreviation -> MBERD0212

♦ Choosing a cemetery

We love to receive and post photos of any Canadian cemetery (provided they are not duplicates of photos already posted). The choice of what cemetery to photograph is your decision.

Still not sure what cemetery to photograph? Feel free to choose any cemetery not yet photographed! Pick one that is close to home or one of personal interest. Or contact a province/territory coordinator, they will work with you to identify which cemeteries in your area have not yet been reserved or photographed and you can then make your choice. (Please note: For most cemeteries coordinators know only as much as is posted on the cemetery page and won't be able to answer questions about size or accessibility).

♦ Permission to photograph

Permission to take photos varies with each cemetery. If you would like to photograph a privately owned cemetery, or a cemetery on private property, it would be best to approach their cemetery board, caretaker or owner and request permission before starting photography.

Many cemeteries have not yet heard of our project and may have questions that can be answered with this information:

- We cater to genealogists and hope to provide them photos of headstones from cemeteries they are unable to visit personally

- If you as the photographer are willing, a copy of the end result (photos & index) can be provided to the cemetery

- Once the photos & index are online the cemetery is more than welcome to link to the page!

- We are willing to work within parameters they set, if it means they will allow photography. Make note of when death registrations are released in the province where you will be taking photos, since death information up to that year is public would the cemetery allow photographs of stones with death dates from that year and prior?

- If the cemetery has any questions or concerns they are welcome to contact the project coordinator at

♦ Large cemeteries

Tackling a large cemetery may seem daunting but there are a couple of ways to make the task seem much smaller.

- Most large cemeteries are divided into sections, choose one section and make it your project. That's it, just one. If, after finishing, you feel like tackling another you can, or you can stop with one. Doing one section at a time makes it easier for other volunteers to pick up where you left off. If you're not sure which section to choose, start with the oldest or smallest.

As our site is part of CanadaGenWeb our primary goal is providing (and obtaining) as much genealogical information as possible. So from that aspect we encourage the photography of every headstone within a cemetery BUT we also appreciate and welcome partial submissions of a few photos. Each headstone photographed and submitted is possibly the piece to someone's genealogical puzzle, so each one is a treasure.

In short, you don't have to photograph an entire cemetery but we'd love if you would! There is NO time limit so it can be done on your schedule, just keep us posted of your progress (and please sign up before starting so we can ensure no other volunteer duplicates your efforts).

Headstone photos. Photograph each side of every stone that has an inscription. Some stones require just one photo as only one side of the stone has writing. Others can require several in order to get each side documented. Obviously if a side is blank there's no need for a photo.

Scenery photos. What does the cemetery as a whole look like? Take a few photos from different parts of the cemetery.

Sign photos. Please include a photo or two of the cemetery sign.

♦ Tips

Take a friend. Never visit a cemetery by yourself. Bring your spouse, another family member, a friend or fellow volunteer. Besides having some help with photography you'll also have someone with you in case of emergency. Also bring along a cell phone (make sure it's fully charged) and keep it on your person, don't leave it in the car!

Bring along some helpful tools:

- Dark umbrellas can help create shade. Some headstones give off a glare that is difficult to photograph. A dark umbrella can cut out some of that glare making it possible to get a readable photo.

- Soft bristle brushs or brooms can be used to gently sweep away removable debri like leaves & twigs

- A notepad & pencil can be used to write down inscriptions of stones that may not photograph well.

- A flashlight or mirror can help create shadows making some inscriptions stand out better.

Time of day can play a part in how well some stones will photograph. Some stones photograph best with the sun shining on them, others when the sun is behind them.

Weather - overcast or drizzly days can sometimes be the best days as there's no sun to work around. Some (not all!) stones show up better in photos when wet.

Angles - Standing at an angle can help make some inscriptions stand out a bit more in a photo. At times the sun can 'hide' the inscriptions but on an angle there might be enough shadow to make the words stand out. At other times it's the stone itself that creates an interesting challenge - it becomes a mirror reflecting everything nearby including you! Taking a photo from an angle can cut out most of that reflection. (see example)

Please take one photo that gets the entire monument in the frame then a close up for each side with an inscription. (see example)

♦ Megapixels

Most digital cameras, even on a phone, give you the option to choose the number of megapixels (MP) you want to use to take a photo. We recommend taking photos with a setting no less than 3MP which would give you photos that are 2048 x 1536 pixels in size. This allows room for cropping later if needed.

♦ Old Stones

Some older stones are difficult (at best) to read. Even if you can't read it, take a photo. Someone, somewhere may be familiar with the stone and be able to submit a correction at a later date.

♦ Cleaning Stones

Headstones can be fragile. They've survived this long, let's do our best to ensure they continue to survive!

Cropping before shrinking ensures that the headstone remains the main subject of the photo which can help with the readability of the inscription:

Photos smaller than 350x255 are very difficult to read. Most of the photos we post on this site are 800x600 ensuring that they are large enough for most people to read, yet still small enough that they will load quickly for most internet users. (see example)

Larger sizes are also accepted but will be shrunk to 800x600 before being added to the website.

♦ Renaming Photos

Renaming is not needed or required. It's fine to use the name designated by your camera. All photos are renamed before we place them online to reflect which cemetery they belong to so it truly does not matter what names the photos have when you send them. However, if you are not indexing your photos and are familiar with the names on a hard-to-read stone, feel free to relabel the photo with the names (ie SMITH_Jane.jpg).

♦ Duplicate Photos

We just need one copy of each photo, regardless of how many people are named on the stone. If you have more than one photo of a stone, please pick the best one. The exception is stones with inscriptions on multiple sides, for those please send one photo per side, and one photo of the entire stone (see example)

Zipping is not required unless you are using a file sharing service that does not allow batch downloading (e.g. sendspace).

If you are using such a service, instead of sending/receiving multiple files (sometimes hundreds), a zip file makes it possible to send just one. This is time saving for both the sender and receiver. Zipping a file does NOT affect the original files. Your photos will not be damaged when zipping or unzipping.

Zipping is easy to do and does NOT require purchasing a program. Both Windows & Mac come equipped with built-in zipping functions.

*Please note that we cannot unzip files created using WinZip (it requires both sender & receiver to have the software), nor can we unzip .rar files.

Once you've created a zip file please rename it to include your name, the cemetery code and the name of the cemetery (e.g. JohnDoe-MBERD0212-XYZCemetery.zip)

♦ Batch Downloading

Batch downloading allows multiple files (or photos) to be downloaded with one click, instead of one file at a time.

We cannot accept downloads that require our volunteers to download dozens of photos one at a time. It's time consuming and frustrating. The less time spent downloading new submissions, the more time we have to devote to getting those submissions online as quickly as possible.

♦ File size

File size refers the size of the submission as a whole (for photo size please see resizing photos).

☛ Less than 2mb (megabytes): Can be sent by form attachment or e-mail attachment

☛ More than 2mb but less than 25mb (megabytes): Can be sent by e-mail attachment

☛ More than 25mb: Can be sent using file sharing sites, cloud storage or the postal service

♦ Submission Options

There are several ways to submit cemetery photos to this project. At least one of these methods should fit your level of comfort, however if none work for you or you need assistance please contact the volunteer coordinator for the area you wish to submit photos for, and they will get in touch with you.

- Online Upload: Files can be uploaded to our dropbox account, and you don't need dropbox to use it. If you'd like to upload your photos this way, locate the cemetery you wish to submit photos for, choose 'Submit Photos', fill out the form and let us know in the comments you'd like a 'file request'. We'll send you one by reply e-mail.

- Form attachment is restricted to one file or photo under 2mb (megabytes) in size. To use a form locate the cemetery you wish to submit photos for and choose 'Submit Photos' from the menu on the top right side of the page.

- E-mail attachment can be used if the combined total of photos is under 25mb in size per e-mail. If needed, multiple e-mails can be sent.

To submit your file via e-mail, locate the cemetery and choose 'Submit Photos'. Indicate on the volunteer form that you wish to submit via e-mail and the volunteer in charge of that area will reply to your message. You can then submit your file(s) to that reply address.

- File Sharing Websites allow you to upload and share large files. You can choose any file sharing website, however it must meet three requirements

-> 1. It must be entirely free to use for the recipient

-> 2. It must not require software in order to download

-> 3. It must allow batch downloads (one click to download all files at once - not one at a time), OR you will need to zip the photos into one file.

Before uploading photos to a file sharing website, do a test upload of three photos and send them to yourself to be sure your choice meets all 3 requirements.

To submit your file via a file sharing website, first choose the website you wish to use and upload the file. Then return here to the Cemetery Project, locate the cemetery and choose 'Submit Photos'. On the form, please paste the download link the file sharing website generated after your file was uploaded.

There are dozens of choices that are free to use without registration, but we recommend these three:

☞ Zoomfoot is our preferred file sharing website. It is free to use, allows batch downloading, does not require zipping, and there is no limit to the size of the files. When using Zoomfoot be sure to include your e-mail address as the sender so that you will receive a copy of the download link. Once uploaded, files are available for download for nine days.

☞ Sendspace, also free to use but it does not allow batch downloads, so we request it only be used to send zip files. We will not accept unzipped photos sent via sendspace (why?). Sendspace has a limit of 300mb per file. If your submission exceeds 300mb, create multiple zip files and then use the batch upload feature to upload them. Uploaded files remain on sendspace for 7 days. You have the ability to have the download & delete links sent you via e-mail which is handy in case you misplace the download link.

☞ File Dropper allows files up to 5gb (that's 5 gigabytes!) in size, however you can only upload one file at a time. So, like sendspace, File Dropper can only be used to send zip files. Uploaded files remain on file dropper for 30 days. Once the file is uploaded the download link will appear. Be sure to copy this link and save it as File Dropper does not e-mail it to you!

Take Note:

➛ Unless you put our e-mail address () as the recipient of the file, we will NOT be notified that a file is available to download. Please forward the download links via e-mail or through the volunteer form so we can retrieve the file.

➛ When using a file sharing website you must leave your browser open to that website until the file has 100% uploaded. If you leave the page the upload will stop and you'll have to start over. You can open and use other tabs in the same browser as long as you leave the tab with the file sharing site open.

➛ The larger the file you're uploading, the longer it will take. It's also dependent upon your internet connection speed. If you know how fast your speed is (ask your internet carrier) you can use this nifty file transfer time calculator to estimate how long it might take to upload your file.

➛ * If needed you can create & submit multiple zip files. Please ensure that each zip file contains more than one photo.

♦ Cloud Storage allows you to share a zip file or an entire folder of photos (no zipping!). Once uploaded, share with

No zipping required! Copy your photos to a CD, DVD, flash drive or SD card* and pop it in the mail. Please note that we cannot reimburse cost of postage or replace lost/missing media. Flash drives & SD cards* will be returned if you include your return address inside the envelope.

If you choose this method please locate the cemetery and choose 'Submit Photos'. Indicate on the volunteer form that you wish to send photos by and the volunteer in charge of that area will reply to your message with a mailing address.